Council approves new city logo on south water tower

     The decision of what exactly to paint on the City of Monticello’s south water tower was fine-tuned during the Dec. 4 city council meeting.

   Right now, a giant “M” is painted in the middle of the tower, with red and white alternating striping around the tower.

   The repainting and maintenance to the water tower is one of the major projects the city bonded for in 2024.

   City Administrator Russ Farnum offered his thoughts on the matter…

   • He felt the current “M” is too small to see from Highway 151.

   • An updated city logo was suggested with the word “Monticello” wrapped around the water tower and the clock tower behind the “M.” Farnum said the name of the town would help to distinguish Monticello from other towns that begin with “M.” However, it could also be too busy depending on FAA requirements.

   • If the council chose to use red for “Monticello,” it would clash with the safety orange the city is required to use for new striping. He suggested an all-black logo in that respect.

   “We have to use safety orange because of the FAA requirements with the flight path,” explained Farnum. “We’re limited on the use of a real red logo.”

   • While the entire name of the city would wrap around the tower, he said it would be ideal for passers-by to see a logo from both directions (north and south) of 151.

   The city budgeted $500,000 to $550,000 for the water tower project.

   “The logo adds $5,000 to the cost of the painting,” noted Farnum. “That’s a small percentage for a half-million-dollar project.”

   Council member Tom Yeoman agreed that the word “Monticello” would be hard to read on the tower unless “big, bold letters” were used. He suggested just sticking to the “M” and having it “as big as you can make it.”

   The council approved the city logo on the south water tower.